[jo3y]

I currently use a Sony A100 and I like it but Sony lens are expensive compared to Nikon or Canon. I still use the kit lens that came with it, but there are places that the camera can't reach.

Heres the noob question. Are there any lens that are compatible with the Sony and yet I can still use them later on if in the future if I have a Canon or Nikon? Or do I have to get Sony?

[erure]

can i ask for an input or suggestion?
canon eos 40d or rebeL xsi vs. nikon d80.
i am totaLLy new about DSLR's and i might get either one of those.

The 40D is the best out of those. The XSi is the newest, and the D80 is the oldest. The XSi doesn't compare to 40D or D80 because it's more for beginners, but it is the smallest.

I currently use a Sony A100 and I like it but Sony lens are expensive compared to Nikon or Canon. I still use the kit lens that came with it, but there are places that the camera can't reach.

Heres the noob question. Are there any lens that are compatible with the Sony and yet I can still use them later on if in the future if I have a Canon or Nikon? Or do I have to get Sony?

All cameras have different mounts based on the company, so you can only use Sony or Minolta lenses for your Sony camera. You could still sell the Sony and get a Canon or a Nikon -- their lens selection is definitely smaller than Canon or Nikon.

[negitoro]

All cameras have different mounts based on the company, so you can only use Sony or Minolta lenses for your Sony camera. You could still sell the Sony and get a Canon or a Nikon -- their lens selection is definitely smaller than Canon or Nikon.

Just a quick comment on this.

Some third party lens manufacturers (like Sigma and Tamron) also produce lenses in a Sony mount. So if you're looking for a more affordable lens, it's also an option.

[watcher]

Just a quick comment on this.

Some third party lens manufacturers (like Sigma and Tamron) also produce lenses in a Sony mount. So if you're looking for a more affordable lens, it's also an option.

i thought it was interesting that despite this, sigma/tamron lenses for mounts outside of canon/nikon are slightly more expensive. sometimes it's just a $20 difference. other times it's up to $100. but despite it all, i still gotta say... if you go canon or nikon, you'll still end up using more money. you just have access to lots of nicer lenses and u end up buying them regardless. haha

[negitoro]

i thought it was interesting that despite this, sigma/tamron lenses for mounts outside of canon/nikon are slightly more expensive. sometimes it's just a $20 difference. other times it's up to $100. but despite it all, i still gotta say... if you go canon or nikon, you'll still end up using more money. you just have access to lots of nicer lenses and u end up buying them regardless. haha

Either that.... or it just becomes a more constant reminder how poor you are....

[latina]

i went to the beach 2 days ago and i took some pictures..

[erure]

i thought it was interesting that despite this, sigma/tamron lenses for mounts outside of canon/nikon are slightly more expensive. sometimes it's just a $20 difference. other times it's up to $100. but despite it all, i still gotta say... if you go canon or nikon, you'll still end up using more money. you just have access to lots of nicer lenses and u end up buying them regardless. haha

I guess it's because since there are more Canon/Nikon users, there is a lesser demand for other mount lenses (Olympus, Sony, Minolta, etc) so the prices have to be compensated for.

So I ordered a bag from B&H Photo and UPS left it on my front door. It was then promptly stolen by either one of the neighbors or the janitors. Well, since I don't know if it was stolen, I guess I shouldn't jump to conclusions. However, UPS tracking tells me it was left on my front door and obviously it's not there anymore, so I can't really think of any other reason as to why it's not on my front door. This happened Friday morning and I was in and out of the house in the day and I didn't even know that the package was "stolen" until it was very late at night. I contacted both UPS and B&H Photo but I doubt they're going to do anything for me. If it was a lens or a camera body, I'd probably have killed myself by now.

[watcher]

I guess it's because since there are more Canon/Nikon users, there is a lesser demand for other mount lenses (Olympus, Sony, Minolta, etc) so the prices have to be compensated for.

So I ordered a bag from B&H Photo and UPS left it on my front door. It was then promptly stolen by either one of the neighbors or the janitors. Well, since I don't know if it was stolen, I guess I shouldn't jump to conclusions. However, UPS tracking tells me it was left on my front door and obviously it's not there anymore, so I can't really think of any other reason as to why it's not on my front door. This happened Friday morning and I was in and out of the house in the day and I didn't even know that the package was "stolen" until it was very late at night. I contacted both UPS and B&H Photo but I doubt they're going to do anything for me. If it was a lens or a camera body, I'd probably have killed myself by now.

speaking of which, i found a package at my front door today as well. im lucky it was just a few hangars... i got a desk coming soon. and a set of knives as well. i hope i get those intact

[c_gunawan541]

can i ask for an input or suggestion?
canon eos 40d or rebeL xsi vs. nikon d80.
i am totaLLy new about DSLR's and i might get either one of those.

Hmm... i'll choose 40D because it's pretty good for a beginner and i love the hand grip feeling to the camera. The thing i love about this camera is the rotating wheel to browse the pictures, much better than to press right and left buttons one by one.
If you get this camera, remember not to buy the basic kit lens 18-55mm f/3.5, you'll regret it after you've got deeper into photography just like me . Just get the body and buy a mid-range lens 24-70mm f/2.8 to start from.
Or you could just buy the most affordable good quality lens 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. I heard that many people improve faster using this fix lens and i'm getting one myself this week, huhuhuhu~

---Caroline

[erure]

^Yeah, 24-70mm f/2.8L which costs over a grand should totally be your starter lens

[c_gunawan541]

^Yeah, 24-70mm f/2.8L which costs over a grand should totally be your starter lens

Not saying canon though... L lens are really expensive =p, should try sigma 24-70mm lens which cost 400bucks.
btw, a question. Does bigger CF cards damage the body of a camera? When i first bought my camera, the shopkeeper says that 4GB CF card would easily damage the camera which resulted to me to buy a 2GB CF card, but i see my friends using 8GB CF cards...

---Caroline

[erure]

Not saying canon though... L lens are really expensive =p, should try sigma 24-70mm lens which cost 400bucks.
btw, a question. Does bigger CF cards damage the body of a camera? When i first bought my camera, the shopkeeper says that 4GB CF card would easily damage the camera which resulted to me to buy a 2GB CF card, but i see my friends using 8GB CF cards...

---Caroline

I still wouldn't recommend 24-70mm f/2.8 for a starter lens, even if it is a Sigma lens which costs $429. For one thing, it's heavy (the Sigma one is lighter than the Canon L one though). And for a standard zoom lens, I'd want something closer than 24mm (which is 38.4mm on crop sensor) for the 40D. If it was a full frame camera, then it would be a different story.

I've never heard of a CF card damaging the body of a camera. But I wouldn't use cheap third party products -- they get corrupt easily and generally aren't very durable.

[negitoro]

I guess it's because since there are more Canon/Nikon users, there is a lesser demand for other mount lenses (Olympus, Sony, Minolta, etc) so the prices have to be compensated for.

Or maybe they know that they can screw those people and get away with it because they don't have other cheaper options LOL

So I ordered a bag from B&H Photo and UPS left it on my front door. It was then promptly stolen by either one of the neighbors or the janitors. Well, since I don't know if it was stolen, I guess I shouldn't jump to conclusions. However, UPS tracking tells me it was left on my front door and obviously it's not there anymore, so I can't really think of any other reason as to why it's not on my front door. This happened Friday morning and I was in and out of the house in the day and I didn't even know that the package was "stolen" until it was very late at night. I contacted both UPS and B&H Photo but I doubt they're going to do anything for me. If it was a lens or a camera body, I'd probably have killed myself by now.

This happened to me before. I lived in an apartment building and FedEx left the package somewhere. I didn't even realize it was here until I checked the tracking information the next day. Anyway, the signature and name didn't match me and the driver said he just left it somewhere. I called the company and they claimed it through insurance and sent me a new item free of charge (shipped by UPS this time).

So don't lose hope yet.

[negitoro]

Or you could just buy the most affordable good quality lens 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. I heard that many people improve faster using this fix lens and i'm getting one myself this week, huhuhuhu~

---Caroline

On a crop sensor, 50mm isn't really the ideal learning lens. You'd need like a lens in the range of 28 to a 35mm lens for the old-school 'normal prime'.

Plus I've never really bought into the whole one lens for faster learning. Honestly, you could do that with the kit lens set permanently at 55mm. And then when you get tired of that, you can use the same lens to learn about the differences between focal lengths.

[SeLcaQueen]

The 40D is the best out of those. The XSi is the newest, and the D80 is the oldest. The XSi doesn't compare to 40D or D80 because it's more for beginners, but it is the smallest.


All cameras have different mounts based on the company, so you can only use Sony or Minolta lenses for your Sony camera. You could still sell the Sony and get a Canon or a Nikon -- their lens selection is definitely smaller than Canon or Nikon.

Hmm... i'll choose 40D because it's pretty good for a beginner and i love the hand grip feeling to the camera. The thing i love about this camera is the rotating wheel to browse the pictures, much better than to press right and left buttons one by one.
If you get this camera, remember not to buy the basic kit lens 18-55mm f/3.5, you'll regret it after you've got deeper into photography just like me . Just get the body and buy a mid-range lens 24-70mm f/2.8 to start from.
Or you could just buy the most affordable good quality lens 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. I heard that many people improve faster using this fix lens and i'm getting one myself this week, huhuhuhu~

---Caroline

my mom just asked someone to buy a camera for me abroad. i'm not sure if the camera has aLready been bought but if it was, most probabLy it's a nikon d80.

[ddonq]

i just ordered a nikon d60
im so freaking excited!

[watcher]

Not saying canon though... L lens are really expensive =p, should try sigma 24-70mm lens which cost 400bucks.
btw, a question. Does bigger CF cards damage the body of a camera? When i first bought my camera, the shopkeeper says that 4GB CF card would easily damage the camera which resulted to me to buy a 2GB CF card, but i see my friends using 8GB CF cards...

---Caroline

i think the best reason for getting the 18-55 is that most people, when they first get into photography, don't know what their niche will be. getting the 18~55 provides a just wide enough angle and a very VERY mild telephoto [on a 1.6x sensor]. this allows the user to try out different ranges and figure out where to go next.

personally, i thnk the best 'starter' lens is the sigma 17~70. it's fairly sharp, you get 2.8 on the wide end and a zoom range that's near perfect as a walkaround for 1.6x sensors.

as for CF cards, i've never heard of such a thing. i have a 4GB and i have friends with 8/16GB sensors. no issues reported.

On a crop sensor, 50mm isn't really the ideal learning lens. You'd need like a lens in the range of 28 to a 35mm lens for the old-school 'normal prime'.

Plus I've never really bought into the whole one lens for faster learning. Honestly, you could do that with the kit lens set permanently at 55mm. And then when you get tired of that, you can use the same lens to learn about the differences between focal lengths.

u'd be surprised how many people learned to shoot with a 50mm prime on POTN

[sodapop!!]

after about two more paychecks (and if i use my sushi waitress tip money wisely and put it away in the bank immediately instead of spending on clothes :,D) i'll have enough to spend on a nice, professional nikon or canon DSLR kit for about $1500 upwards.

honestly, i'd really just like to sell my soul and one arm for a Canon 5D. i've always loved kris' photography (krisatomic), and her stuff is exactly the sort of thing i'd need/concentrate on-- i want to lean towards illustration and graphic design rather than photography itself, and i want the camera to be a crutch-- but a really nice crutch, so i can take ulzzang-y pictures of me and my friends as well to remember forever in a nice way!! (rather than grainy point-and-shoot drunk shots ruined by flash and facebook posterity, haha)

however, i'd also like to NOT BE POOR. this thread has taught me about the canon rebel series-- XTi and XSi and such, and i'd love to spend under $1000 for a nice starter kit! i just don't know if i could ever approach the same quality as those in 5D photos? or should i just totally fold and get a Nikon? D: my heart is pretty much set on Canon though. i'm also worried about flash, because i LOATHE ugly flash you get from point-and-shoot. oh dilemmas~

if anyone is sort of in the same situation, or used to be (in terms of career/life-plan-dependent-on-camera), i'd love any advice! :,,D

[watcher]

after about two more paychecks (and if i use my sushi waitress tip money wisely and put it away in the bank immediately instead of spending on clothes :,D) i'll have enough to spend on a nice, professional nikon or canon DSLR kit for about $1500 upwards.

honestly, i'd really just like to sell my soul and one arm for a Canon 5D. i've always loved kris' photography (krisatomic), and her stuff is exactly the sort of thing i'd need/concentrate on-- i want to lean towards illustration and graphic design rather than photography itself, and i want the camera to be a crutch-- but a really nice crutch, so i can take ulzzang-y pictures of me and my friends as well to remember forever in a nice way!! (rather than grainy point-and-shoot drunk shots ruined by flash and facebook posterity, haha)

however, i'd also like to NOT BE POOR. this thread has taught me about the canon rebel series-- XTi and XSi and such, and i'd love to spend under $1000 for a nice starter kit! i just don't know if i could ever approach the same quality as those in 5D photos? or should i just totally fold and get a Nikon? D: my heart is pretty much set on Canon though. i'm also worried about flash, because i LOATHE ugly flash you get from point-and-shoot. oh dilemmas~

if anyone is sort of in the same situation, or used to be (in terms of career/life-plan-dependent-on-camera), i'd love any advice! :,,D

it's not so much the camera body but the lens that give you some great results. though to be honest, you could photoshop the image the death and reproduce professional level images with the most basic dslr with the starter kit combo, but who wants to be stuck in front of a computer for so many hours?

if you want to get the best bang for buck, i'd say to get the xti and a decent lens like the sigma 18-50/2.8. i'd actually push you to get the 18-55 kit lens that bundles with the xti so you can test it out and see what focal range suits you best. this way you can buy a better lens later that better fits your needs. but since you said you wanted to take pics of your friends, usually you want to go wider rather than long, so it was just my guess that 18-50 is a good focal range for you.

the xti + sigma combo should cost you just above 1K. with cf card and bag and accessories, you'll be paying in the range of 1100~1200 total

some people are canon purists however. the best lens in that range for canon is the 17-55/2.8 IS. it's over your budget tho, and only for crop cameras. this wont work on a 5D if you upgrade later.

depending on your needs, stick with the xti and either sigma 18-50 / canon 18-55. later on, you can decide if you want to buy an external flash unit, or upgrade your lens. if any questions, do ask. lots of people willing to help here... i think

[edit]
image quality on the xti and 5d are comparable if you use high quality lenses. the main differences you see might be distortion/noise, but sharpness, contrast, etc are harder to notice. if anything, the best images are a combination of high quality lenses, good composition and a mastery in making the most out of your light sources [natural and artificial]. really, the 5d wont work a special magic the xti cannot in terms of image quality

[erure]

^^I have a Canon EOS 5D and in my opinion, I think you should know what you're getting into. Paying $1900 for a camera when you're just starting out in photography may not be the best way to go about it -- what if you decide that you don't like photography as much as you thought you did? Plus, the 5D is heavy and there's no internal flash.

However if you really do want the 5D, you should wait until August since many people are guessing that the successor of 5D will be announced, leading to a price drop on the 5D. I think you should get either the XSi, XTi, or 40D and get a nice lens (Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 is the king of EF-S lenses supposedly -- I haven't used one so I don't know). If you decide that you really want to get serious about it, then sell your stuff and buy the 5D then.

You should learn more about flash photography -- if you use external flash (strobes), then you can bounce the light off of ceilings and/or walls to get a more natural feel. People who are good at flash photography make it look like a flash wasn't even used in the photograph.

Getting a DSLR will not make your photographs become instantly great. Think of it like buying a musical instrument -- you wouldn't expect to be a master at piano just because you bought yourself a grand piano right? Good luck on your decisions